


Predecessors

by Prank (NekoPrankster218)



Series: Popular Fanfiction Tropes the Series (based on the ColeyDoesThings videos) [3]
Category: Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Curses, Game: Halo 2, Game: Halo 3, Gen, Ghosts, Haunting, Post-Game: Halo 3, bonus at the end, honestly lowkey like the au and ocs i made outta this and kinda wanna do more in the future, part of this was made with less than advised sleeping hours, thel is stuck with four unhelpful "mentors"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NekoPrankster218/pseuds/Prank
Summary: “But...if this isn’t a dream or hallucination…” Thel asked. “What is this?”“A haunting, of course. You’re being haunted.” Xyha answered simply. “And while your woeful mind may jump to the conclusion of ‘you’re being haunted by your failures’; no, it is just us.”
Series: Popular Fanfiction Tropes the Series (based on the ColeyDoesThings videos) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1614532
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	Predecessors

_ “What would you have your Arbiter do?” _

It had been nearly a day since he said those words to the Prophets. Hours since he had fulfilled what they had asked of him. And not long since he was finally given time to rest.

He was not expecting any criticism of the statement. Not now, inside his room.

And especially not from a predecessor.

“Quite unnecessary…” the spirit was saying to him. “They had just stated what they wanted, and that’s your reply? Were you implying that you did not pay attention?”

Thel continued to stare in shock.

“Are you even paying attention  _ now _ ?!”

There was a cough behind him, as the spirit turned to face yet another Arbiter.

“Mrisa...perhaps you are forgetting something yourself?”

So it really was true. He was being scolded by Arbiter Mrisa ‘Varkaee. Or rather, his ghost.

“I was  _ going _ to get to that.” Mrisa shrugged him off. “I was trying to come off casually first...remember what happened with Ripa?”

The room was filled with a dreadful growl.

“Do. Not. Remind. Me.”

Mrisa ‘Varkaee...now Ripa ‘Moramee? And he was certain the other one was Xyha ‘Felkoree.

“I am hallucinating.” Thel finally told himself.

“No, you are not.” The hallucination of Xyha ‘Felkoree replied.

“I’ve overworked myself-”

“That we can agree-”

“And now I am hallucinating.”

“However, that is wrong.”

“No…” Thel shook his head. “Then I must have passed out...this is a dream.”

“You are awake,” Ripa snapped. “This is real, and do not make me hit you to prove my point.”

“You hold that kind of power?!”

Mrisa shook his head. “No, no he doesn’t.” He turned to Ripa. “We’ve talked about this. You even went through this right before him! At least he isn’t thrashing around…”

“What did I tell you?!” Ripa growled.

“ _ Enough _ .” A new voice cut in. “All three of you.”

The three dead Arbiters, as well as the living one, all turned to face Fal ‘Chavamee as he arrived.

“All you are doing is confusing the man. Have you learned nothing after all this time?”

“If I may, Fal,” Xyha said. “But it seems there is no right way to introduce ourselves and not cause a panic each time…”

“You can at least put an effort into it.” Fal turned to Thel. “And you...you’re the one they called Thel ‘Vadamee?”

“They…” Thel faltered. “They  _ did _ , yes.”

“Hm. I don’t care for that. If you were born Thel ‘Vadam, then I shall call you Thel ‘Vadam. No perceived hereasy will keep me from that.”

“Are we finally going to get to that?” Ripa asked. “How he failed to protect a Halo Ring, of all things?!”

“ _ You _ ,” Mrisa piped up. “Allowed an entire Forerunner fleet to get destroyed. Because a human stabbed you in the neck!”

“Was that how it happened…?” Thel couldn’t keep himself from asking, earning him a sharp glare from Ripa.

“That  _ vermin _ could not defeat me in fair battle, so he had to play tricks to gain an upper hand. I would have won in any other circumstance!”

Mrisa cut in again. “Yes, that being the circumstance where you just killed him outright instead of gloating! And no, I will not allow you to forget that!”

Fal sighed. “Ignore their bickering for now...what’s important is filling you in on the situation.” He glared at the other three ghosts. “Like how you should have done sooner.”

“But...if this isn’t a dream or hallucination…” Thel asked. “What is this?”

“A haunting, of course. You’re being haunted.” Xyha answered simply. “And while your woeful mind may jump to the conclusion of ‘you’re being haunted by your failures’; no, it is just us.”

“Why? Why you four...why me?”

Ripa gave a side-glare to Fal. “Blame him. He’s the one who started this.”

Fal nodded. “Yes...it was unfortunately my vengeful state of mind that brought forth this curse. Now, every Arbiter succeeding me, including myself, shall haunt the current Arbiter.”

“Until…?” Thel pressed for more. “Is there any reason for this curse? Any way to reverse it?”

“Not that I am aware of, despite my causing it.”

Xyha offered a comforting smile. “Do not worry, we’re not going to distract you during any missions. That would just be unfair.”

“Unfair?” Mrisa asked. “Judging by his performance already, he might need more of a challenge.” He paused at Thel’s worried expression. “That was...meant to be taken as a compliment.”

“His performance…” Fal murmured. “That reminds me...the ‘Heretic’ and ‘Monitor’...what are your feelings on that?”

Thel’s eye ridges furrowed. “My feelings…?”

“Did it not seem off to you? What that ‘Heretic’ was implying? How complacent that ‘Monitor’ was in his presence?”

“I…” Thel shook his head. “I do not know. I have not had the chance to see the Oracle since. I doubt I will…”

“Yes, I doubt they will let you see him.” Fal nodded. “But not for the reason you’re thinking.”

“Are you not a heretic yourself?” Ripa demanded. “How can we be sure you aren’t trying to make him disillusioned?”

“He must already be if he isn’t doubting what he heard! That ‘Oracle’ had to have been the one to-”

_ “Arbiter. The Hierarchs have summoned you.” _

The message from Tartarus made the room go quiet.

Xyha was the first to speak up. “Well...best not to keep them waiting.”

“And be quiet about this.” Fal added. “Even if they’d believe you...I am uncomfortable with anyone outside of this rank knowing our secret.”

Thel nodded. When the four ghosts disappeared, he stood up from his seat and exited the small room given to him.

* * *

“Feeling well, Arbiter?”

Thel nodded in response to the Prophet of Truth.

“You just seem a little...disturbed.”

“The Flood…” Thel began his answer, only to be cut off with a wave of Truth’s hand.

“Yes, we were notified right after you returned. While we are blessed to have never seen the parasite in person, our hearts go out to those less fortunate nonetheless.”

“And how fortunate are we,” Mercy continued from there. “An Oracle! You brought us back an Oracle!”

Truth nodded in agreement. “The recovery of the Oracle will surely lift the spirits of our Covenant...perhaps lead to more discoveries.”

Thel simply nodded again, figuring the Hierarch was not seeking any words from him. This lead to a brief silence, before he was addressed again.

“Tell me...before the Oracle was officially retrieved...did it mention anything? Anything of importance to us?”

This was it. The real reason he was called here.They wanted to know about the Oracle.

And he had a feeling it would determine whatever happened to him next.

“Importance to you…?” Thel repeated. Was he really going to lie to the holiest of the Covenant? “It showed...an interest in giving knowledge. As an Oracle would.”

“An interest…” Truth studied him carefully. “To give what knowledge?”

He was being honest, wasn’t he? Despite the fact he knew deep down what the Prophet wanted to know...but that might incriminate him as having heretical thoughts. And he did  _ not _ possess any! He was loyal! He was faithful! He always had been!

_ “But they’ll kill you if you know too much.” _ Fal’s voice spoke in his head.  _ “They’ll kill you if you’re too much of a threat. Just as they killed him. Just as they killed  _ me. _ ” _

_ You were killed because  _ you _ were a heretic.  _ Thel thought back.  _ You turned away from our Covenant and encouraged others to do the same. But I am not the same. _

“The Oracle will answer any questions. That is what I was told, before I was fired upon by the Heretic Leader.” Thel said. “I know not how the Heretic Leader came to possess the Oracle, nor what was discussed between them...surely he was mad to be able to hear the words of an Oracle and claim the Great Journey is false.”

Truth sat in place, before relaxing. “Indeed. Tartarus told us of your concern for the Oracle after the mission, so I merely wanted to reassure you. Your kinds may have your...feud, but Tartarus would do nothing to disrespect our Lords’ creations.”

Thel dipped his head. And he kept it low as he was dismissed.

_ “And you will be killed because you  _ are _ a threat, Thel ‘Vadam.” _

* * *

_ “Fool. They ordered me to do it.” _

_ “This one is but flesh and faith, and is the more deluded.” _

_ “And you know nothing about containment!” _

_ “But you shall find no salvation on this ring.” _

_ “Your prophets are making a big mistake.” _

“Well...that was an…” Xyha struggled to find the word. “ _ Experience _ .”

“I knew I was right…” Fal shook his head. “I knew I was right, but for things to be like  _ this _ ?”

Thel clacked his mandibles in frustration, his land tightening around the spare gun he took for himself. “I thought you four wouldn’t distract me on a mission…”

The five of them stood in a relatively peaceful space. A space Thel had just been dropped into. By the Gravemind, of all “people”.

“Yes, a  _ mission _ ,” Ripa said. “Are you really going to follow orders from that  _ thing _ ?”

“A mission from the parasite...or a mission for revenge. Interpret it as you will. I cannot let Tartarus win.”

“Even if his victory meant the victory of the Covenant?” Fal asked.

Thel hesitated. “We will take this one step at a time...it’s only certain that Tartarus betrayed me.”

“Under orders.”

Thel remained quiet and moved on. He had a mission to complete. For  _ himself _ , not a parasite.

* * *

Once again, Thel sat alone in a room designated for himself. By now, he had grown accustomed to what that meant, and did not wait.

“Are you happy now?”

There was a pause.

“Not as much as you believe.” Fal answered, although Thel did not bother looking at him. “It took so long...and so much for the Sangheili to realize they had to split.” He briefly stopped. “Although, many of them still are unaware of the truth...they still believe a Great Journey awaits them.”

“It has only just begun,” Xyha assured him. “The news will spread soon enough.”

“And what then?” Mrisa asked. “The Covenant and its religion...it is so intricately mixed into our culture, our way of life...what will we- _ they _ do without those lies?”

“Most likely what Ripa is doing now. Sulk. Brood. Lament. But we are Sangheili. They will pick themselves up and they will become strong again.”

“For now…” Fal approached Thel, now forcing the latter to face him. “You must focus on preventing Truth from reaching the Ark. Prevent him from activating it and killing us all. There is no future if he succeeds.”

Thel shifted. “I know that…I don’t need a guide every step of the way.”

“I am not guiding you...I am reassuring you. I know these developments must be difficult for you.”

“And I do not want to hear that talk.” Thel narrowed his eyes. “I’m still a Sangheili warrior. I will smite the enemy and complete what must be done, regardless of how ‘difficult’ it is.”

Thel was then notified of their arrival back to the human homeworld, and prepared to exit.

“We’ll have to work on  _ all _ our attitudes.” Xyha sighed.

* * *

Thel was silent as he stared out into the void outside the window. He hadn’t realized he had been holding his breath until the chaos of the escape had passed. He gave a shaky exhale.

He could already tell something was wrong. He had never commanded a human ship like  _ Forward Unto Dawn _ , but he could tell something was up with what was appearing on the dashboard.

System failures. External and internal damages. Hull breaches. Most of these were coming from the back end.

Thel fiddled with the controls as he attempted to use the intercom.

**_“Spartan? Construct? Are you-”_ **

“It’s gone, Thel.”

He turned the chair around to face Fal, who was looking solemnly back.

“The back half of the ship. It’s still on the other side.”

Xyha walked through the wall into the bridge.

“I can’t find any sign of them. Mrisa is having trouble as well…”

Thel’s head started to dip down as understanding kicked in.

“What about Ripa?” Fal asked. “Is he doing anything?”

“Surprisingly, yes. He’s trying to see if he can get any connection to the rest of this afterlife...see if the Demon’s death can be confirmed.”

“That’s not going to work-”

“Of course not.” Thel scoffed. “Do you truly believe after all the Covenant has done over the war to kill him, a simple explosion is what does it?”

The two seemed ready to argue back, until Mrisa and Ripa appeared.

“There’s nothing outside the ship…” Mrisa reported.

“And I still cannot get any connections.” Ripa added.

Thel sighed. “So, we’re stuck flying half a ship by ourselves…”

“ _ We’re _ ?” Mrisa asked. “ _ Ourselves _ ? You remember how we cannot interact with the physical, living world, correct?”

“That is correct.”

“We can only interact with  _ you _ . Verbally.”

“That is also correct.”

“So what are  _ we _ supposed to do?”

Thel looked over the console and all it’s reports again.

“I need  _ someone _ to keep me together while I get home.”

Xyha stepped forward, until he was looking over the dashboard next to Thel.

“How long?”

Thel studied the human language appearing before him. “Most likely...2 weeks, at most.”

“Ah, that gives us plenty of time to talk - Arbiter to Arbiter.”

* * *

_ "For us, the storm has passed. The war is over. But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure..."  _

_ "...sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight, our fight, was elsewhere."  _

_ "As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten."  _

_ "I remember how this war started. What your kind did to mine. I can't forgive you. But..."  _

_ "You have my thanks. For standing by him to the end."  _

_ “Hard to believe he’s dead.” _

_ “Were it so easy.” _

Thel stood and looked on the memorial that towered over him. When this war began, he knew he would be honoring fallen allies. He never could have imagined, at that time, who those allies would be in the end.

He had a feeling the four Arbiters standing next to him, on the side opposite to Lord Hood, felt the same.

Thel watched as Ripa’s eyes lingered over Sergeant Johnson. It was strange. He would have to ask why that human kept piquing his interest, despite the fact the two hadn’t met personally.

Xyha, meanwhile, side-stepped over to place a hand on Thel’s shoulder. Oddly - although perhaps it was the events of the past half year getting to him - but he felt as if he could actually  _ feel _ the hand on him. Feel warmth protruding out of it.

“You truly believe the Demon...the Master Chief lives?”

Thel gave a subtle nod; enough to not draw suspicion from the humans around them.

“Personally…” Mrisa interrupted.

_ “I’m going to rage harder than ‘Moramee if he comes back alive.” _

* * *

**BONUS - A scene from Halo 5 with the Arbiters**

As Thel was preparing his armor in the safety of his tent, preparing for the upcoming final battle with the Covenant remnants, he felt a presence. The usual kind of presence.

“I know it is cheating for us to give you warnings…” Mrisa began, standing behind Thel. “But I am growing concerned by the one lurking in the shadows and...admiring your chest?”

“His weapon is out.” Xyha added, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Take that as you will.”

Thel looked around, and soon locked eyes with the one they spoke of. This assassin...was it not a warrior that recently defected from Jul’s Covenant? This one...Rhu ‘Vrath, wasn’t it?

His would-be attacker quickly looked away, before departing altogether. Thel watched him disappear. All while remaining silent.

“...I think he likes you.”

“Why do you never leave me alone?!”

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably the longest oneshot I've posted so far. How long did it take me to finish this? I started this *before* the John n' Thel soulmates story.
> 
> Anyway, I've fallen in love with Mrisa 'Varkaee and Xyha 'Felkoree. One of them is supposed to be the Arbiter of the Unggoy Rebellion, but I honestly can't figure out which. Mrisa is angry enough to glass part of Balaho while Xyha is calm enough to extend his hand back to the survivors. And I'm starting to think this isn't the last I use this AU - thinking of past Arbiters backseat driving Thel is hilarious on its own. Technically think there should be a few more than four, but didn't want to crowd.
> 
> Also I can't help but feel I didn't deliver well enough in the last two sections. I'll admit my muse drives were beginning to crash at that point, but I wanted to officially end the fic at the memorial scene. Hope it wasn't too dissatisfying.


End file.
